A Review by Carol Wheeler, MexConnectPublished Apr 29, 2009From the State Department's "four Ds" (Death, Detention, Destitute and Disappearance) to the demented, derelict and dirty old men, the author navigated bureaucracy with skill and humor. She found friends and allies in Mexican morticians, cops and doctors.<\b> I was eager to read Drama and Diplomacy, because I knew the "old" Puerto Vallarta much better than the modern city where my sons vacation today. Author Jenny McGill is a born storyteller. Each chapter is a page-turner – I couldn't put the book down. I moved to Guadalajara in 1978, five years after the McGills moved to Puerto Vallarta and four years before she was appointed U.S. Consular Agent there. PV was a favorite getaway; Mother and I went at every opportunity for its clubs and restaurants, fiesta boats and trimaran tours, noches mexicanas and exceptional beaches where verdant mountains flow into the Bay of Banderas. "It reminds me of Hawaii in the 1940s," Mother said. By 1981, I was working as the editor of About Magazines, one of which was dedicated to Puerto Vallarta. A couple years later, the word was out that the new consular agent was a tough, efficient no-nonsense woman. Someone whose path you didn't want to cross. In the 1970s and '80s, life in Mexico was lively and edgy. The expatriates tended toward artistic, adventurous types, and the characters who parade across Ms. McGill's pages – although sometimes outrageous – ring true. Filled with nostalgia, I savored her descriptions of the beach town with cobblestone streets that came alive with weekend partiers. But I was more impressed by the author I came to know through her adventures and misadventures. About Magazines were proper and positive; Drama and Diplomacy tells the story behind the scenes. The tropical town comes to life again and you have a ringside seat. But the book's power lies in the dilemmas of U.S. citizens and Ms. McGill's creative, caring and personal ways of dealing with them. From the State Department's "four Ds" (Death, Detention, Destitute and Disappearance) to the demented, derelict and dirty old men, the author navigated bureaucracy with skill and humor. She found friends and allies in Mexican morticians, cops and doctors. Each chapter is a compelling story in itself. Dirty dealing timeshare salesmen were eventually deported. The dead were buried, the sick treated in small town clinics or by curanderos. The jailed were visited, the demented sent home to families. Meanwhile, duty called and Ms. McGill hosted diplomats, visiting naval ships and dignitaries – including Queen Elizabeth II. In every situation, Ms. McGill's warmth is evident. She consistently went above and beyond what the rulebooks called for. And she found humor in the most god-awful situations. Citizens who crossed her path were fortunate indeed! Carol Wheeler Mexico Connect Magazine |
